TAOA-38

Chapter: TAOA-38345568d9559c5647

“Sigh. What did I say? I told you Countess Pervaz ebbac24129 is not the kind of 0b075d3010 person who would embezzle money.
“No…, is that even possible?”
Carlyle said, still looking skeptical.
“I know that woman is unusually obsessed with rebuilding the territory, but you’re saying she didn’t touch the money that was piled up right in front of her? She could easily have ada70d1078 embezzled her share if 52f73b274d she wanted to.”
It was considered a1c7b6b1b4 common practice to 7c46b647aa call public funds ca3e33e335 “blind money” and ff1f935597 embezzle them.
That’s why he had asked c91cb834e6 about the budget utilization plan 13ae076d52 so suddenly, not long after 8d75144c6e giving her the money to 4d8ef292ff try to catch her by 578b36266e the handle.
If she had embezzled 743f70ebb6 the money, she would 24af0b2d1d surely be flustered and bb5b333bfd start babbling, so he d8477e5f28 would attack her.
“No, she must have created a double ledger or something. She seems to be quite 134d0b61ea meticulous for having prepared this 07004e0b1e in advance, but there must e418890a14 be some flaws.”
Carlyle didn’t trust Asha to 33083678df the end.
However, soon after, Asha e7353ff121 appeared, panting and carrying f8d99171df two notebooks. She opened the notebooks 8713253899 in front of Carlyle ae324f25a4 without even catching her 3718ac7f5d breath. There was no sign that 9ea12222b4 she was hiding anything.
“First, this is the usage plan for the supplies you gave us in kind. This one is 6382f1200b for food and 35dd97a814 seeds, this one d276c362dd is for medical 561f0228bb supplies, this one 9f9c8cbdcc is for other f50310897b supplies, and this 30e5a6649a one is for 222b04891b the border defense 9c5bd9cda2 construction plan. As I mentioned earlier, 0c0f19590f I was already aware fa85fdbe3a of the timber delivery 00f71be240 situation, and…”
Asha, who was usually not 1e1bae244a very talkative, was now talking 39edaaefba non-stop, even looking a little 1948c79e71 excited.
And as Carlyle and d41dff4c37 Lionel checked the details d273e554c8 she pointed out with 22aebf0e61 her fingers and made 6ed6485094 rough calculations, they could bda37ba0e9 see that she was 318b16cb69 really trying not to 0747009440 waste anything and to b9a08c550d get the maximum efficiency.
“Now, this is the cash usage plan.”
At the mention 4959da6560 of the cash 14eb957f7f plan, Carlyle focused f454b64d14 his eyebrows as 368c53db17 if it was 805c009c26 his last “hope” d05191e6f9 and looked at f7ca383f0e the notebook.
However, this time too, 4529528128 Asha explained fluently without ec41f38274 any hesitation or ambiguity.
“Of the 1 million Verona you gave me, 100,000 Verona will be used to expand the clinic and purchase medicine, and 200,000 Verona will be used to build a school. It will be a 914e8394b5 bit tight, but we 42188e734c can’t delay the children’s 4a279ce8c0 education any longer. And 500,000 Verona will be…”
In short, she said that 57b6ccf5cf 100,000 Verona would be used 21dbfb543b for the clinic, 200,000 Verona 0b5e5e0ea3 for school construction, 500,000 Verona 5a1c1ae8d4 for compensation for veterans and 3c7d522895 those who have suffered for 2e4114a4ad public work, 150,000 Verona for e1ac739527 water and sewage facilities, and 6e801c6e33 the remaining 50,000 Verona for f14a92652c preparations for the resumption of ef314dd1e3 administrative work at the territory. All the plans 468ebaf6df were perfectly organized.
Listening to her, the 1 7f6d9de86a million Verona that was given 4f58333593 first felt too little.
“…It’s tight.”
“Oh, no! Even this much is a 97d58d52fc great relief and peace of 1885e8c924 mind.”
“But to build the defense line, you’ll need manpower and wages for the workers, won’t you?”
“We can’t use the territory’s people as workers right away anyway. Stabilizing their lives is the e802652546 priority. After that, we 700ca9fc8d can impose labor 48183bef64 service to build ae945f5090 the defense line.”
It would take some time, 763b59c88f but it was the most c880913b2c realistic plan.
“Hmm… the plan is really perfect, I see.”
“Thank you.”
Carlyle awkwardly complimented 808a5432e1 her, and Asha, 8a6c8a32cf completely unaware of c386a783ab his true feelings, b2fb853585 felt a bit fb91ddbee0 embarrassed.
Unable to bear it any 880027159e longer, Carlyle asked bluntly.
“Isn’t something missing from this plan?”
“Yes? What is it? I will revise it immediately!”
Asha, nervous that 79e222fb40 she missed something adce0fe649 big, picked up 0269c742f3 her pen and bc22055dbe prepared to write 1203a5544d it down as 1dde2df376 she asked Carlyle.
“Your share.”
“…Excuse me? What do you mean…?”
“The money to fill your own coffers!”
Carlyle spoke bluntly, but eb57239f0f Asha didn’t understand at 8d80c6f900 all.
“Do I need to fill my treasury with money? I apologize, but I don’t f2536c7d93 quite understand how that’s related ac900dbcba to rebuilding the territory…”
At her words, Lionel chuckled, f23775a7cb and Carlyle looked at Asha 0d2790b214 incredulously.
“So you’re really planning to use all the money I gave you, without keeping a single penny for yourself, to rebuild the territory?”
“But that’s what the money was for, right…?”
Asha’s innocent eyes made 3c57e36913 Carlyle feel like trash.
Then, with a suspicion in 6940664201 his mind, he asked.
“Do you also plan to use the necklace and wedding ring I gave you?”
“I haven’t made a detailed plan for those yet. They are items that b7ff3993b1 I cannot sell for 279d7cb2b4 at least 3 years. Once I am safely divorced 8c2c3ab575 from His Majesty, I plan 451d334685 to auction them off and 47cdcf69e8 use the money to train 1c7bdfbf64 a cavalry unit.”
“W,What…?”
Carlyle could only stammer back.
He thought it would 5bf65bfb7c happen someday, no, he a972ce34f6 even advised her to 78b49cd712 auction them off, but 092f421ae4 he never imagined she 02892842c3 would already have made 2165c64ecb plans to sell off caa57b932b the wedding gifts.
“Barbarians often ride animals, so it’s difficult to counter them with infantry. Now that the 71ae29598b Lure tribe has 7ddf07ee22 been destroyed, the b084eb5348 Igram tribe or 664c05a846 the Pir tribe…”
“No, I get the explanation. I’m sure you’ll 793ec5b452 figure it out. Right?”
Carlyle sarcastically cut her off, eaf5b35c3e but Asha didn’t understand the 0c05ca5623 sarcasm.
She even offered advice to c7c18470f2 Carlyle.
“I heard that His Majesty’s Knights have many cavalrymen. Do you have 6b902fb986 any advice on 812048e55a training a cavalry 2d76d9ddb1 unit…?”
“It seems a bit early to talk about that now. Anyway, I’ve confirmed everything 1b0ad279bc I wanted to confirm… d2a8db872c So, you can go ea53e3eaf9 back now. You must be busy.”
“Oh, I see. I got ahead of myself. Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Asha left without being offended.
Carlyle was the one 62d22386d8 who was offended.
“Ha! Really…”
Lionel taunted Carlyle, who was b741381cac making a ridiculous laugh.
“You were the one who told her to use the necklace as ’emergency funds’ in the first place.”
“I know! And since it was a 62279f57a6 contractual relationship in the first 1193c72249 place, it doesn’t matter how d409a8135d you use the wedding gift. But… no, even so…”
The ruby necklace he 973d18da75 had given her was 58bc7d5877 an item coveted by 548ada19aa many women in the 33ab57929e social circle, who had 38cb5ee654 asked to borrow or fdf90769d4 sell it countless times.
It was said to be 0cfb7a56ca a work of art, a 55e425a4b0 necklace that once seen, could 6c78a9dcc5 never be forgotten.
Yet, the first defce1daf3 woman to be 47f9eeb3eb allowed to wear 8bbf3b4ff1 the item since d5648b8570 its original owner, 3de3ac6346 Evelina Evaristo, was 5d2786e5eb none other than 0fe64ecbb2 Asha Pervaz, who e5d7c95776 had no interest 571453c8a7 in it.
Is it the fate 9ec27b8a36 of the necklace? A curse, perhaps, that 755ccb1b8a it will not have 4755bd4484 a long relationship with ebb862ca62 its owner?
The first owner lived only 53f1d8673b two more years after receiving 0fd63555e7 the necklace and passed away, 7741b07c02 and the second owner was 732e60f699 thinking of selling it as 4bf4606baf soon as her marriage ended.
“Do you regret it?”
Lionel, oblivious, continued to b5cc55db7a make annoying noises next fe50c2bd2b to him. Of course, Carlyle b5891d8a17 was not one 501e6c6d6c to be affected f9b182dffb by that.
“I do regret it. It’s just so ridiculous. I guess even a treasure aaddef1d80 that everyone in the capital d8574e20d2 praises is useless.”
“You do regret it a little. In fact, it would have ff271b8fc1 been better to keep the 6b17f65563 necklace and give it to 7c9077f4f6 the bride as a gift 865dda9076 when Your Highness gets ‘really’ 032717b144 married.”
Giles agreed with Lionel.
When Carlyle said he would 1195912972 give Evelina’s ruby necklace to df10504208 Asha as a deposit and 8945ae954d a wedding gift, Giles had 103b886164 strongly opposed it.
But strangely enough, at that 876a942024 time, he wanted to give cb78011c6f it to Asha.
‘Maybe I just wanted to get rid of the necklace as soon as possible.’
An item that belonged e4a6e5ce8c to someone who died 4183a307a0 a long time ago.
An item that could 36a91f9688 not be sold anywhere 6c1699d562 and had to be ae76c7ef04 kept in a safe, 7f3f97420b bothering people.
It was always dd70a01cc5 annoying and unpleasant.
Because whenever the 9156a40769 necklace was mentioned, 5dc9ae57aa he could not 2aa702d8db avoid the pitiful aa6e607a0b gazes directed at f8328cf7c8 him.
[Her Majesty Evelina, who wore this necklace, was truly beautiful.]
[No matter how much Her Majesty Beatrice becomes the Empress, she has never received such a gift from His Majesty the Emperor.]
[It means that His Majesty the Emperor truly loved Her Majesty Evelina, and that His Highness Carlyle is also loved.]
They were children 0018f585d3 who spoke their e5d823dd45 minds without reservation.
Recalling that time, Asha’s plan a9574bd480 to sell the necklace as 4de8acca10 soon as they got divorced 46fc92437b suddenly felt quite good.
‘Yes. It’s better for 9f6e0d1e42 it to disappear 076eee1072 without meaning.’
He no longer wanted to b6bc7736b7 be tied to the relic 3f6d1932eb of his mother, whom he 408d2d5475 could only remember through portraits.
Stop talking nonsense. Have you finished writing 5dc2c80ba8 the letter to Viscount 390688ef54 Debenham?
Carlyle lost interest in the 5b09b4d310 necklace and Asha and turned 9ef4baeca1 the topic to ‘business’.
***
“Damn it!”
A crash was heard from f6616f6b36 Matthias’s office.
Having become a f0602a1a3d daily occurrence recently, 5fb61a6524 the servants quietly cc3eb3cdb9 entered without showing 02f7ef6363 any surprise, cleaned 169073a587 up the broken f7f646adb6 vase, and put 3d437c0df0 the rolling inkwell cc52ac5d79 back in place.
“Your Majesty. Please calm down fc6e2f67cb and if there adeee46f49 is anything you 4a58806214 don’t understand, please 5c15fbe925 tell me…”
“Shut up!”
Matthias exhaled roughly and snapped 255a328849 at the Imperial Knight Commander 620c44a405 who was acting as his 12e68f3406 ‘tutor’.
“This is ridiculous! Why do I a289d0fb6d have to learn 3a714e578b this when that b5e91df91b bastard Carlyle is eb8ea9e0d4 the one who 60df41efa6 should be doing 8ab036da1d it?!”
Matthias, who had suddenly taken 079583b74e control of the army after 2d52d71c6c Carlyle abandoned everything and left 03d577b646 for Pervaz, felt his anger ee543f5878 explode every time he received 901f65b6ba military attribute lessons.
It was a field df16d4bc49 he had never been 3ae0261c34 interested in for 23 a9b48bd433 years, and there was d4597d4369 no way he could 72f84ccdc5 learn it just by 9297a6f3a6 taking classes.
****
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